Minnesota

Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings odds, picks and predictions

Published

11 months ago

December 31, 2023

John Holler
| Staff Writer

The Green Bay Packers (7-8) and Minnesota Vikings (7-8) meet Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium. Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC). Below, we analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Packers vs. Vikings odds, and make our expert NFL picks and predictions.

Neither team has been putting together a playoff resume of late — due in part to injuries and in part to allowing too many back-breaking plays in key situations.

After losing on the road to the New York Giants and at home against Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Packers squeaked out a 33-30 win over the Panthers — the team with the worst record in the league.

For a team that had a schedule extremely favorable to keep winning, losing 2 of those 3 games was debilitating to their chances of making the playoffs.

Few teams have been as erratic as the Vikings. After starting 1-4, Minnesota won 5 straight, only to lose 4 of their last 5 games — 3 of those to non-playoff teams.

The problem has been at quarterback. The Vikings will be continuing the carousel of quarterbacks when rookie Jaren Hall gets the start. Hall was named the starter after Kirk Cousins went down, but suffered a concussion in the 1st quarter of his 1st start. His 2 replacements — Josh Dobbs and Nick Mullens — both played their way out of the starting job, so Plan D may actually be Plan B post-Cousins.

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Packers at Vikings odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:39 a.m. ET.

Moneyline (ML): Packers -105 (bet $105 to win $100) | Vikings -115 (bet $115 to win $100)
Against the spread (ATS): Packers +1 (-110) | Vikings -1 (-110)
Over/Under (O/U): 43 (O: -110 | U: -110)

Packers at Vikings key injuries

Packers

LB De’Vondre Campbell (neck) doubtful
TE Luke Musgrave (kidney) doubtful
S Darnell Savage (shoulder) questionable
WR Christian Watson (hamstring) doubtful
WR Dontayvion Wicks (chest/ankle) questionable

Vikings

WR Jordan Addison (ankle) questionable
CB Mekhi Blackmon (shoulder) questionable
TE T.J. Hockenson (knee) out/injured reserve
CB Byron Murphy (knee) out
DE D.J. Wonnum (quad) out/injured reserve

Packers at Vikings picks and predictions

Prediction

Packers 24, Vikings 20

Moneyline

TAKE PACKERS (-105).

You shouldn’t have to invest more than you win when your team is an underdog. The Vikings fans will be loud and make things difficult for QB Jordan Love, but things will be a lot quieter if Hall struggles like Dobbs and Mullens did.

Against the spread

TAKE PACKERS +1 (-110).

The Vikings have been victims of their own offensive ineptitude. Minnesota has committed 30 turnovers — an average of 2 every game. You don’t win in the NFL when you turn the ball over and give an opponent a short field or turn it over when in scoring position.

The Packers are going to throw formations at Hall that he hasn’t seen on film. He will likely be forced to run for his life, which may explain why he lasted just 1 quarter in his 1st start.

Over/Under

BET OVER 43 (-110).

In their last 2 games, the O/U numbers for the Vikings have been 51 and 54. The Packers have gone Over this number in their last 5 games, including 64 and 63 points in their last 2 — against the Bucs and Panthers.

One way or another — whether a monster game from WR Justin Jefferson or a defensive touchdown — this game will find a way to go Over. If 1 team gets up 10-0 early, it’s almost guaranteed because losing isn’t an option and leaving trick plays in practice doesn’t make sense. Fake punts are in play.

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Minnesota

Icy Minnesota roads causing white-knuckle Thursday commute

Published

6 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

Icy Minnesota roads causing white-knuckle Thursday commute

CBS News Minnesota

Live

MINNEAPOLIS — Thursday is another day to go slow on Minnesota roads.

Morning commuters can expect icy roadways and even some blowing snow in the Twin Cities, as temperatures hover around freezing.

There were nearly 600 crashes and spinouts across the state on Wednesday, the Minnesota State Patrol reports, including an accident on Interstate 35 in Owatonna that killed a baby boy and injured a 4-year-old girl.

A WCCO photojournalist witnessed several drivers unable to make the climb over St. Paul’s High Bridge on Wednesday evening, causing what he described as “pandemonium.”

In Minneapolis, the Third Avenue bridge had to close because of an accident involving a Metro Transit bus.

The state patrol reports 18 semis jackknifed across the state on Wednesday, including five cases in a two-hour span on Interstate 94 near the town of Downer, located a few miles southwest of Moorhead.

WCCO Staff

The WCCO Staff is a group of experienced journalists who bring you the content on WCCO.com.

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Minnesota

NEXT Weather: 10 p.m. forecast for Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024

Published

14 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

NEXT Weather: 10 p.m. forecast for Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024 – CBS Minnesota

Watch CBS News

We saw our first snow fall today, though our total is still below average for the month of November. We stay in the low 30s as we head into the overnight hours and hit the upper 30s by Thursday afternoon. There is another chance for snow in our future. WCCO chief meteorologist Chris Shaffer breaks everything down.

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Minnesota

Minnesota's largest coal plant goes solar: Sherco Solar comes online

Published

22 hours ago

November 20, 2024

Press Room

Minnesota's largest coal plant goes solar: Sherco Solar comes online

Photo: Xcel Energy

Xcel Energy has started delivering clean energy from one of the US’s largest solar farms: Sherco Solar in Minnesota. It’s a major step in the utility’s push to ditch coal and move to renewable energy across the Upper Midwest.

Sherco Solar, which recently began generating power, will eventually have a massive capacity of 710 megawatts (MW). The first part of the project is already pumping 220 MW of affordable solar electricity into the grid, with the next two phases expected to go online in 2025 and 2026.

The solar farm is being built on the site of the Sherburne County Generating Station (Sherco), Minnesota’s largest coal-fired power plant. Xcel Energy plans to retire all three of Sherco’s coal units by 2030, with the first one already offline. Once fully operational, Sherco Solar will generate enough electricity to power around 150,000 homes, replacing a significant chunk of the coal power that’s being phased out.

What’s notable about Sherco Solar is not just its size but also its cost efficiency. It’ll be the cheapest solar power on Xcel’s Upper Midwest grid, and the company is taking full advantage of federal tax credits to bring those savings to its customers. Sherco Solar is expected to cost around $1.1 billion, but it will qualify for about $480 million in federal tax credits – all of which Xcel says it’s passing on to its customers.

The solar project is also making use of the existing grid connections from the coal plant, which helps speed up the timeline and save money. “With Sherco Solar, we’re maximizing the benefits of the clean energy transition for our customers,” said Ryan Long, president of Xcel Energy for Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

Sherco Solar is creating 400 union construction jobs and 12 permanent jobs for ongoing operations and maintenance. Plus, it’s set to bring about $350 million in economic benefits to the local community as the coal plant phases out.

And there’s more on the horizon: Earlier this month, Xcel started work on a long-duration battery storage project at Sherco with Form Energy, and they’ve proposed even more battery projects for the site. Xcel is also looking to expand Sherco Solar by another 200 MW in a fourth phase of the project.

The utility is committed to ensuring a smooth transition for Sherco’s workers. Xcel has a strong track record of closing or repurposing coal plants without layoffs, and it’s promising jobs to any Sherco employees who want to stay on board.

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